Charging apparatus for a rotary hearth furnance

An apparatus for charging a feed material onto a rotating hearth of a rotary hearth furnace, the rotary hearth furnace including refractory lined inner and outer walls and having a refractory roof supported thereon, the apparatus comprising:

• a table mounted above the rotating hearth and capable of receiving feed material, the table extending transversely across the rotating hearth and having a first end including a distribution member, a second end including a plurality of longitudinal dividers, the longitudinal dividers cooperatively defining channels that extend across the rotating hearth, wherein a discharge slot is located within each channel between each pair of dividers, and a leveling plow intermediate the first end and the second end;
• wherein feed material free falls over the distribution member and is distributed across the width of the table and then adjusted to a uniform depth such that as the rotating hearth passes under the table a curtain of feed material of uniform depth is loaded over the entire width of the rotating hearth.